OPENING A SPANISH BANK ACCOUNT

Requirements for opening an account as non-resident
You are only required to show your passport/identity card and to deposit a (small) sum of money

Requirements for opening an account as resident
Once you have residencia you have the all-important NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) which identifies you for fiscal and other financial purposes (The Spaniard’s number is the NIF= Número de Identificación Fiscal)
With this number the bank will process your application for an account as a resident.
It would be advisable to take also your employment contract or a pay-slip

To obtain a credit card the bank would normally require your salary to be paid in there and would not issue one within the first month or two. The credit limit would be low at first (e.g.600 Euros, previously 100,000 pesetas). In any case credit limits are in general much lower than those offered in Britain